You Might Think It Strange

I love to watch T.V. I know it seems strange for a writer to say, but it's true. I'm not a big fan of the reality television craze, but I have indulged in a few shows. My mom and I used to love Project Runway. We would get on the phone and watch the show together as we discussed the designs and how we disagreed with the judges' opinions. We still love Chopped and my biggest guilty pleasure is Real Housewives of Atlanta (my mother not so much). I've fallen behind in my reality t.v. watching in the past year, but that just goes to show you I'm not an addict.
    What I really enjoy are crime dramas. In Plain Sight and Criminal Minds are at the top of my list. Yes, I do realize that In Plain Sight has been canceled, but that doesn't keep me from watching the episodes over and over. I love shows with creative writing, quality acting and a spirited character. Everyone loves to be entertained, but my mind has to be stimulated for it to work. Stories with obvious plot holes get under my skin. I spend the whole show complaining audibly to the television on how stupid or unrealistic something like that is.
   I do like a romantic element to a story, but I don't like it to be the main focus. I need explosions, gunfights and a good high speed chase to get my blood going. Of course, you've got to work hard to impress me. I'm one of those people who mentally rewrites the endings to movies if they don't like how they turned out. I'm the kind of person who talks during the movie. You won't have to shush me at the theater, but I do like to ask questions. Like "why didn't they just pick the lock instead of breaking the window" or "why aren't there more cuts on the body after they jump through a window". And yes I do know that most broken glass in movies is just spun sugar, but why pay make-up artists if you aren't going to try and trick my eyes a little? I make sarcastic jokes and comment on how impressive a really unique and clever line was delivered. I discuss the movie afterwards with my spouse, who nods and smiles like he's really paying attention, even though I know he's not.
   I'm a writer and a reader at heart, but even I need moving pictures with sound every once in a while.

Journal Challenge

   When I was in school, my English teachers made us keep a journal. It was a composition book that we had to write in at the start of every class. She would give us a topic and 10 minutes to think about it and write. We usually had to write at least one page. It was my favorite part of English because it was the most creative thing we really got to do.
   At the end of the year the journal would be returned to us. Most kids just threw theirs in the classroom trash, but I took mine home. And I still have them. I love to scan the pages from time to time. It's interesting to see how I saw the world when I was younger. Almost everything was certainly more simple then. Of course, there were times when I made things more weird and complex than they really had to be. Of course, the real problem I had with journal topics was that once I found a good one, I couldn't stop writing. The teacher's timer would ding and I'd have to stop in the middle of a sentence.
   The point I'm trying to make is that I can still look into those old books and find new ideas in the old ones that I started. As I get older, I see those same journal topics differently. Even if I never get to write the story those journal entries inspired, the ideas are there. So, I thought it would be fun to give you a journal topic. I'd love to see what you write, but you don't have to share it. I always found those journal topics fun. Choose one or both of the topics and see what you come up with.
Topic 1:
  What would you do if a time traveler broke down in front of your house? They can be from the future or the past.
Topic 2:
  If you were a muppet, what would you be and why?